The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-11-12
How to Get Rich.

nc bOstoh Herald prints the lOl-
lowing letter from General Benja-
min F. Butler:
Boston, Mass, Aug. %, 1887.
DEAR SIR. l have received your
note for me to write some practical
hints for young men on the acquire
ments of wealth, which may be pub
lished.
A difficult task is set me, as the
circumstances under which young
men commence life are SO widely
varied, But / think that more
young men fail in the investment of
what they earn or receive than in
any other way to acquire property.
The temptations to speculate are so
great and the desire to become sud
denly rich so strong, that / believe
eight or ten, if not more, of young
men are wrecked at the very begin
ming.
If a young man is earning some
thing more than the expense of his
living, and has no object in view, he
is likely either to increase those ex-
penses carelessly or to loan his mon
ey to his friends, aud in so doing in
the majority of cases he will lose
both friends and money, 50 that the
best thing hec can do is to have an
object TO gather up his money, and
to have a call for it, which shall be
a profitable one. He makes no in
vestment because he says Il have
got so little money that it won't
come to anything. 1 viii wait un-
til ! get more" and in waiting, gem
orally, what he has goes.
When young man has very
little money let him buy some prop
erty, preferably a piece, however
small, according to his means, of
improved real estate that is paying
rent. He had better buy it when
sold at auction, under a Judicial sale,
paying in cash what he can, giving
his notes for the balance in small
sums coming due at frequently re-
curing intervals, secured by mort
gage on the property, and then use
all his extra income paying up those
notes. 1t is always safe to discount
your own note, and if the notes
come a little too fast, as soon as he
gets anything paid his friends will
aid him when he is putting his
money where it cannot be lost, and
where the property is taking care of
the interest, and in a very short
time he will find that he has got a
very considerable investment. He
will become interested in it, save his
money to meet his notes, and he
will directly come into considera-
BILE possession of property, and hard
ly know how it came to him. That
is, he will have had motive for saw
ing, and he will get the result of that
saving, and will not be tempted to
enter into speculations.
Nothing is as safe for an invest
ment as improved real estate. Moth
ing is likely to grow into value fas-
ter. In the last fifty years ninety
per cent of all the merchants and
traders in Boston have failed OF
gone out of business, so that their
stock has been wiped out. In the
last fifty years all the improved real
on the average has paid its interest
and taxes and quadrupled in value.
If a young mans father can give
him anything to start him in the
world he had better invest it in that
way and let it accumulate, and earn
his living, and he will be richer than
if he had gone into business.
Jay Gould is said to have started
from mouse-trap seller to become
a millionaire. Assuming that to be
true, he is only one of 100000 o.
people; and if any young mar
thinks that he is going to initiate
Jay Gould, there are 60,000,OOC
chances to one that he won't sue
coed.
The rule I would lay down for 6
young man is, never do a NEAR
thing for money. Be prudent anG
saving of your money. Be careful
to have no interest account running
against you unless you have al
equal or greater interest account
running in your favor. Work dill
gently and you are sure of a com
potency in your old age; and al
early as possible, if you can find I
saving, prudent girl who has beer
brought up by a mother who know
how TO take care of a house, anC
make wife of her, she will aid anC
not hinder you.
I claim no originality in this ad
vice; and will relate you an incidenc
in my own experience to illustrat